


Starry Gifts

by catboy



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Presents, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Gift Exchange, No Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 08:54:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17179868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catboy/pseuds/catboy
Summary: Subaru decides that a simple gift exchange is too boring for the members of Trickstar. So they decide to go all out and spend a night together in the school auditorium to exchange gifts and spend time with each other. Tears are shed and hugs are given as the boy's realize they aren't just unit mates: they're best friends.Secret Santa gift for Rika!





	Starry Gifts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chihayakisaragi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chihayakisaragi/gifts).



> Merry Christmas Rika! I was your Secret Santa! Of course your two favorite units are the ones I'm the most unfamiliar with. But I did my best and I hope you like it! I love you!

“Sari! Did you get it?” Subaru was immediately on his feet with an excited grin stretched across his cheeks as Mao walked inside, his cheeks bitten red from the cold outside. The group was waiting in a small café’, Mao having been sent on a mission. They had been awaiting his arrival with tense nervousness, as his success would make or break their day.

It was Christmas Eve and Subaru had proposed a wild plan two days ago, giving his fellow unit members little to no time to prepare. This wasn’t uncommon, but it was the request that gave the boys a bit of a problem. He was also unwilling to compromise. It was this or nothing. As much as his unit mates adored him, they weren’t really in the mood to deal with a Subaru tantrum on Christmas Eve.

Mao brushed the snow off of his shoulders and held the key up, in which Subaru’s eyes began sparkling like stars. “Sari!”

Hokuto and Makoto were sitting at a table, blinking in absolute shock. “How did you convince Tenshouin-senpai to let you have the key?” It was Hokuto who spoke next.

A nervous laugh escaped Mao and he rubbed the back of his head. “Let’s just say… I’ll be busy with student council work until I die.” He quickly recovered though and pressed the key into Subaru’s palm, who was holding it like a newborn Daikichi. “We have to give it back after winter break. If we don’t, President will have my head.”

“No worries!” Subaru gave an enthusiast thumbs up that didn’t really ease Mao’s worries, but he wasn’t going to say any more for now. All that matters was they got what they needed.

With a steaming hot chocolate grasped in his hands, Makoto passed it to Mao, who eagerly accepted in an attempt to thaw out his frozen form. “Thank you, Makoto.”

“Hey! We can warm up later! We need to go now! If we don’t it’ll be tomorrow!” Subaru whined and tried pulling at Hokuto’s arm, who was firmly not budging. Hokuto simply gave Subaru an unamused look, sighing and giving Mao some time to warm back up before they ventured back out into the cold.

Snow fell from the sky and covered the sidewalks, busy streets, and small shops, mainly filled with couples window shopping for Christmas or exploring the town to see all the decorative lights. The café the group was in was no exception, housing many shivering people sharing drinks and stories as they warmed up away from the chill of a snowy evening.

All four of the boys had large present bags at their feet. They had agreed to meet up and exchange presents on Christmas Eve, but Subaru had said something so simple wasn’t acceptable. They were Trickstar! Idols! A simple gift exchange in a coffee shop or one of the boy’s homes simply wasn’t good enough.

Which led them to where they were now. Once Mao had finished his hot chocolate and thawed out enough to be willing to venture back into the snow, the boys grabbed their things and headed out onto the streets. Soft Christmas music filled the air along with the soft chatter of those on the streets. Subaru’s attention was dragged many times to the lights or shiny shop displays and it usually took Hokuto grabbing his hand and dragging him along to regain his attention. Makoto and Mao were leading the way, simply making pleasant conversation as Hokuto tried to wrangle their most energetic member. This was his idea after all, he should pay more attention to their plans.

Their walk came to an end outside the gates of Yumenosaki. Subaru seemed to finally snap back to attention because he raced forward with the keys to unlock the gate, pushing it open for the other members of Trickstar to make their way inside. He was about to walk off towards the school when Hokuto took the keys from him with a frown and proceeded to lock the gate behind them. Eichi would be furious if Yumenosaki was broken into because Subaru forgot to lock the gates behind them. This time Hokuto took the lead. The walk was mostly silent now as their lips had been resorted the being sealed shut in an attempt to keep any body warmth in as they walked through the snow. Flipping to another key on the ring, he unlocked the doors to the auditorium, all four of the boys eagerly running inside and into the warmth.

The drama auditorium was decked out completely in beautiful lights, festive decorations, and a distinctive smell of peppermint wafting through the air. The stage itself was complete with a Christmas tree and fake presents, snow, and more in general decorations. “Welcome,” Hokuto said with a smile. Being a part of the drama club, he had been responsible for helping decorate the auditorium to what it was. Many people preferred to watch Starfest performances during the winter months, so the beautiful drama auditorium didn’t get the love it deserved. Wataru and Tomoya would probably be excited to know their hard work was getting appreciated. 

Subaru took off first, laughing happily as he ran down the rows of chairs, Makoto quick on his heels also excitedly laughing. Hokuto walked slower behind them alongside Mao, both of them wearing fond smiles. Subaru was right. This was a much better idea than sitting in a café and exchanging gifts. 

Jumping up on the stage and looking around with a bright smile, Subaru finally got to take in the entirety of the beauty of the room. “Hokke! This is so pretty! You guys did so good!”

“Thank you, Akehoshi.” Hokuto had a small blush on his cheeks and his chest may have puffed up a bit in pride from the compliment. 

Soon enough, the group had gathered up on the stage, making sure to keep far enough away from the decorations to make sure nothing got ruined. Even if Wataru wouldn’t scold them too badly, they were uncertain how well Eichi would react if they ruined the auditorium. So they sat in the middle of the stage, shedding off their large jackets and remaining in simple sweaters or long sleeved shirts to keep them warm. Hokuto had even disappeared back stage and returned shortly after with four cups of peppermint tea to warm them up. Mao certainly wasn’t complaining about another warm drink.

Once they were thoroughly warmed and starting to calm down, Subaru excitedly declared it was the moment they had all been waiting for. Presents were pulled out and exchanged between them, but none of them opened yet.

Once four presents sat in front of each boy-- one from each of the other unit members and a gift from Anzu they all vowed to wait to open until they were together-- it was time to begin. 

“Hokke should go first! He is our leader after all!” Subaru immediately started taking control of the situation, his bright smile seeming to be plastered on his face for the rest of the night. Mao and Makoto had no complaints, so they simply nodded and turned to watch their leader.

Hokuto’s cheeks tinted, embarrassed from the sudden attention on him he hadn’t been expecting. He coughed to clear his throat and nodded, reaching out to pick up the first one. A present wrapped in green. From Makoto. The wrapping paper was carefully undone, almost like Hokuto was worried he would damage the present if he unwrapped it too carelessly. Inside was a book. But not just any book. “An Encyclopedia of Rabbits!” Hokuto’s eyes were practically sparkling as Makoto laughed brightly.

“I know you like rabbits so I figured you’d enjoy having a book all about them and different breeds and history and stuff. It’s literally an encyclopedia.” Makoto laughed nervously and scratched at his cheek.

“It’s amazing. Thank you.” Hokuto smiled and set the book carefully to the side, but only after dusting off the stage under it to make sure it was being set on a clean surface. 

The next gift was wrapped in red. From Mao. Once again Hokuto carefully unwrapped the present. He could see Subaru squirming out of the corner of his eye, clearly antsy that Hokuto was such a slow present opener. Once the paper was removed, Hokuto couldn’t help but smile fondly. It was a collection of nice stationary sets and old fashioned pens. “Thank you, Isara. I appreciate these greatly and I’m sure I’ll get great use from them.” A smile was given by Mao and a nod, showing his appreciation for the kind thanks.

To make Subaru squirm just a little longer, Hokuto then picked up the gift wrapped in pink and tied with a ribbon. From Anzu. Subaru vocally whined and Hokuto smiled at forcing his unit mate to learn patience. He had also realized he wouldn’t break what was inside these gifts, so he evened out the field a bit and opened this one a little faster. Anzu wasn’t here, but he was still grateful for the gift. Inside was a CD. Hokuto blinked a little in confusion and all of the boys leaned forward as well. The case had Anzu’s proper handwriting on it that simply said “Trickstar, 20XX” 

“Makoto, there is a small CD player behind the stage Can you go grab it?” 

Nodding, the blonde boy was up to retrieve the device as the other three remained to wait with curiosity. Makoto brought it back fairly quickly and Hokuto carefully took the CD out of the case and put it into the CD player. After pressing play there was a short pause.

Then music filled the air. But not just any music. “This is… us.”

Subaru was the one who spoke, his voice slightly breathy in shock. Makoto, Mao, and Hokuto were also in shock. They sat there for a moment, listening as their songs played on the CD. Anzu had made this for them. She put all their hard work together and gifted it to them to have forever. The other three boys had also grabbed their pink wrapped gifts at this point. They had all been given a CD from Anzu. At this point all four boys were misty eyed. They listened for about 10 minutes, before Hokuto turned off the CD player and carefully retrieved the disk. They wiped away their tears and returned to their spots, carefully setting their CDs down like it was the most precious thing ever. To them though, it was.

With that small intermission completed, Hokuto finished off unwrapping his gifts as he picked up the orange wrapped one from Subaru. He pulled open the box and was met by an antique telescope engraved with constellations. Hokuto was completely speechless. All of these gifts. His unit mates… no. His friends knew him so well. He smiled genuinely and looked up at the three of them. “Thank you. Akehoshi, Isara, Yuuki. I appreciate it. These are all perfect.”

Subaru smiled brightly and shimmied excitedly where he sat. “I’m glad you like it, Hokke!” The other members all nodded happily as Hokuto carefully and gently put his gifts to the side. “I think Isara should go next. As he is the one who got us the keys to get in.”

Mao jumped a little when he was called out, looking around for any objections but Subaru and Makoto had none. “O-Okay.” He decided to open Subaru’s first since the boy had been so antsy about being last for Hokuto’s gift. Nowhere near as slow as Hokuto but also not ripping the paper off like a tornado, Mao opened the gift and a bright smile and joyful laugh escaped his lips. It was a variety of cute hair accessories. Pins, clips, a bow or two. Everything Mao found absolutely perfect. “Thank you, Subaru.”

Subaru lunged towards Mao and hugged him tightly. “You’re welcome!”

Setting the gift down next to his own CD from Anzu, Mao picked up the present wrapped in blue from Hokuto. It was perfectly wrapped with not a single flaw in the packaging. Mao opened this one easily just due to how well it was wrapped. Inside was a four year planner and a set of nice pens. Mao was a very orderly and organized person, so this was perfect. “Thank you, Hokuto.” 

The ravenette nodded and smiled as Mao set the gifts down gently and reached for the last one. Makoto’s gift was carefully unwrapped and inside was an incense burner and a collection of different incense. 

“I heard they’re good for stress relief. You’re always so busy, so I figured they’d be a great way to help you relax,” Makoto chirped in.

Mao let out a gentle laugh. “I appreciate this, thank you. I’m sure I’ll be getting a lot of use out of these.” With his collection of gifts at his side, he turned over to Makoto. “You should go next.”

Subaru very visibly whined, but Hokuto was the one who replied to him. “Since this was your idea, your gifts can be the grand finale.”

He looked like he wanted to argue more, but decided it was fine in the end and nodded. So instead he turned to Makoto. “Open mine first!”

Makoto nodded and picked up Subaru’s gift, placing it on his lap and opening it. “No way! This just came out like, yesterday!” It was a video game that had indeed, just came out yesterday.

“I promise I didn’t wait until the last minute! I just knew I wanted to get you that and it didn’t come out until late.” Subaru pouted, trying to make his case.

“It’s alright. I love it anyways. Thank you, Akehoshi!” Makoto leaned over to give Subaru a hug, who enthusiastically returned it. After they parted, he picked up the next gift which was from Mao. He opened it with a smile and was greeted by-- “POCKY!” A box filled with nothing but different flavors of Pocky. There was at least ten different flavor choices in there. “Thank you, Isara!”

Mao couldn’t help but laugh at Makoto’s enthusiastic response. He had been worried the gift might be a little boring, but Makoto liked it which was all that mattered.

Makoto popped open one of the boxes and stuck a stick in his mouth to munch on while opening his last gift from Hokuto. He pulled the wrapping paper to the side and inside was a brand new pair of headphones. “Oh, Hidaka! Thank you! My old ones were getting a little worn out. I appreciate it.”

Hokuto smiled. “You’re welcome.” 

Now it was time for Subaru. The fact he had remained so patient, despite dancing where he was sitting the whole time was astounding. “Alright, Subaru. You can open yours now.” 

Subaru didn’t have to be told twice, immediately grabbing the first gift. He pulled Hokuto’s present onto his lap and ripped the paper off like it was on fire. There was absolutely no waiting. Inside was a small decorative wooden box. Inside the box was an array of old coins from tons of different countries and currencies. But the most important part, was they were all polished to shine. “Hokke!! They’re so pretty!” He picked one up and immediately began turning it around in his palm. 

“None of them can be used in Japan. They’re either out of circulation or from other countries. They’re strictly collectables.” Hokuto had a feeling he had to point this out of else Subaru would be trying to buy sweets with a foreign coin and be getting odd looks from shopkeepers.

“Gotcha! Thank you so much!” He put the coin back in the box and set it down, immediately lunging for the next one. It was from Makoto. Once again the paper was ripped off in seconds. Inside the box was a new phone case and a cute little charm. The phone case was a deep blue color and covered in stars and the phone charm looked very similar to the Luma’s from Mario games. A cute little chubby star. “Ukki! How cute! They’re so starry.” He immediately pulled his phone out without wasting any time and put the new case on as well as tying on the charm. He lifted it up above his head to examine it from a farther angle, a smile plastered on his face.

Makoto gave a nervous laugh. “I’m glad you like them. I’m not the best at picking out gifts. But the fact you enjoy them is what’s important.”

Subaru nodded enthusiastically and set his phone down before grabbing Mao’s gift. The last one of the night. For a moment he paused, as if savoring the moment. Then the paper was ripped off in a flurry. Inside was a fluffy scarf. On each end was an embroidered patch of a dog’s face that looked exactly like Daikichi. “DAI-CHAN!” 

Wasting no time, Subaru wrapped the scarf around his neck and buried his face into the warmth.

“Well, I can say that this was a very successful Christmas, wouldn’t you guys say?” Hokuto asked.

Everyone nodded, content and happy with the gifts that they had received from their friends. 

“Merry Christmas, everyone.”

“Merry Christmas!”


End file.
